Page 42 of Morally Corrupt

"No… I think I saved your ass, but I threw you under the bus simultaneously."

"Out with it, Vlad. I need to know."

"I might have said it looked like you were having an affair."

My mouth drops open as I stare at him. Affair? Shit. I look back to the video, and I see that my hair was visibly wet when I exited the hotel. I pale. This doesn't look good.

"Did he believe it?"

"I don't know… He looked stricken. I think the seed was planted."

"Fuck. That makes so much sense."

"What?"

"When I got home, probably after he'd seen the footage, he was so drunk. I'd never seen him like that. Then, out of nowhere, he backs me against the wall and fucks the shit out of me. This makes so much sense," I mutter.

I'm pacing now, realizing the reason for his behavior. He'd been jealous. Did he think I'd ever cheat on him? I pause to think about it. I'd never let any other man besides him touch me. He couldn't actually believe I'd cheat.

"He fucked the shit out of you?" Vlad asks, amused. "I didn't think he had it in him."

"Oh, shut it. What do I do now? I can't have him thinking I'd cheat, but I also can't exactly go tell him, oh, you know that day, I was just planning to gun down anyone who was a danger to you. Oh, and by the way, I'm a paid killer.I don't even know which one is worse."

Vlad brings his hand up to rub his chin pensively. "The killer part, definitely. Maybe he's into that cuckold scene. I could give you a hand." I punch his shoulder hard, making him wince and throw up his hands in a sign of peace.

"Stop bad mouthing my husband. I need to think."

"I just don't get it. Why were you so fucking careless?"

"I don't know, okay. It's never happened before." He's silent for a minute, tapping his foot.

"You're using again," he says accusingly, and I give him a sad smile.

"When did I really stop?"

"You should. It's messing with your efficiency. One of these days, you're going to get yourself killed. And you'll have those drugs to thank for that."

"Whatever," I mumble, knowing he's right.

"B," he calls affectionately, "I can help."

"I know… but I don't know if I'm ready."

"One of these days, you'll have to be… I don't like you wasting away because of drugs."

"Says the drug trafficker," I snort.

"Yeah, well, I don't touch that shit."

"Whatever," I say again and try to change the subject. "I'm going to try to sneak my visit to the hotel into a conversation and spin a tale. I really don't want him suspecting anything, especially infidelity."

Vlad shakes his head.

"That husband of yours is going to get himself into trouble one day. You know he's been asking for it ever since he started digging into Jimenez. It's only a matter of time before they hear, and you know what will happen then."

"I'm well aware. Hell, I've been monitoring him ever since we got married, and I've killed every single potential danger. I'll just continue to kill anyone who intends to harm him."

"Until when? How long? You can't keep going like that, B. You're not invincible either. If anything, this video should tell you that you're slipping. And in our world, when you slip, you die."

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